July-August 2017 from the Editor: Welcome to the July/August 2017 Edition of the AAA Newsletter

AMERICAN ACCORDIONISTS’ ASSOCIATION

A bi-monthly publication Newsletterof the American Accordionists’ Association July-August 2017 From the Editor: Welcome to the July/August 2017 edition of the AAA Newsletter. As the musical memories of the summer festival in Princeton, NJ resonate the variety of concerts, competitions and activities that took place, the countdown is now on leading up to the Gala AAA 80th An- niversary Festival to be held in Alexandria, VA (Washington, DC) from July 11-15, 2018. We hope you all are able to include this important event in your plans. It promises to be an exciting and important musical event. Once again my sincere thanks to the AAA Past President, Linda Reed and Board of Director, Rita Davidson for their kind assistance with the AAA Newsletter. We invite you to submit your news items for publication so that your fellow members can see the incredible array of accordion activities happening throughout the country. Items for the September/October Newsletter can be sent to me at [email protected] or to the official AAA e-mail address at: [email protected]. Please include ‘AAA Newsletter’ in the subject box, so that we don’t miss any items that come in. Text should be sent within the e-mail or as a Word attachment. Pictures should be sent as a high quality .jpg file, and the larger the file size the better. We can always reduce/crop the picture if necessary, however we are unable to increase the quality from smaller pictures. Thanks for your support, and I look forward to hearing from you all! Sincerely, Kevin Friedrich - AAA Newsletter Editor

From the President: We send our support and best wishes to Nathan Hope you have had a GREAT summer. It is Chapeton, the AAA Repre- rapidly coming to a close, and Fall will be upon sentative to the Coupe Mon- us soon. With the change of seasons comes a diale Masters Category in renewed interest in “learning” for all of us. Osimo, Italy. The event be- School begins, we all look for something new gins September 5th with ac- to do, clean up old projects that have remained cordionists from around the incomplete, etc., etc. world competing for honors AAA SqueezeFest Looking back over the summer and its and prizes in the multiple events, I feel blessed that I have had the oppor- categories. Keep an eye out for the “Daily Re- July 11-15, 2018 tunity to meet and spend time with accordion- ports” and videos from the event, which will be Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites ists (and musicians) from around the world...at posted to the Confederation Internationale des the AAA Festival in Princeton, on my trip to Accordeonists website at www.coupemondi- 625 First Street Italy for the Peter Soave Music Academy, in ale.org ...click “enter” on the home page, and Portland, Oregon for the Rose City Accordion Alexandria, VA 22314 then on the 2017 Italy icon and look for the Camp at Silver Falls, and so much more. videos! You will be entertained and amazed. My wish is for all of our AAA members to AND...Be sure to “Save The Date” for our experience these joyful and educational experi- 80th Anniversary Celebration and Festival, July ences. Keep tuned to the AAA website, this in- 11-15, 2018 at the Holiday Inn and Suites in credible newsletter, and our AAA YouTube Alexandria, Virginia. Guest Artists include Channel for highlights of all the events...you Joseph Natoli, Stas Venglevski with Tatyana will be amazed at what the accordion is up to Krasnobaeva, and yours truly – Mary Tokarski; these days...and be sure to note all the young Conductor for the 80th Anniversary Festival people who are dazzling us with their talents. Orchestra will be our beloved Joan Cochran The accordion is ALIVE and WELL...and I Sommers; and a Lifetime Achievement Award might add...in good hands for the future. Ideas will be presented to Louis F. Coppola during from the AAA Open Meeting held July 16th at the festivities. Remember to get your hotel our Festival Farewell Breakfast are in the reservations in right away... the hotel will cut works, and we appreciate input from ALL AAA off our special rate one month prior to the start members to help guide us in presenting the of the Festival. Stay posted to the website for Sponsored by the events and interests that YOU have suggested. more up-to-date information as it becomes American Accordionists’Association Feel free to send suggestions and comments to available. Don’t miss this one! the AAA email address: See you there! [email protected]. A bi-monthly publication of the American Accordionists’ Association page 2 July-August 2017 Accordions Around the World in New York, NY AAA Board member Mario Tacca was one of the many featured artists performing in heart of New York City as part of the annual Accor- dions Around the World celebration. Performing in the shadows of the magnificent New York City sky- scrapers, the July 12th celebration included artists on Concertina, Ban- doneon, Accordion and Harmonium performing a variety of styles from Cajun, Tex Mex, Folk, Jazz to Indian Chant and more. Pictured are a sampling of the many artists performing on July 12th, including Rachelle Garniez, Dick LaVine (Concertina), Vitor Goncalves, Laura Vilche (Bandoneon), Eddie Van Tuba, John Sherman, Kenny Margolis, Albert Behar, Melissa Elledge, Mindra Sahadeo, Smörgåsbandet, Gre- gory Grene and Sadys Rodrigo Espitia. Internationally acclaimed vocal- ist Mary Mancini and husband accordionist Mario Tacca are pictured with event coordinator Ariana Hellerman. 'Accordions Around the World’, a four-week series of free music in- volving over 100 accordionists and players of free reed instruments, rep- resenting different musical genres ended in grand style on Friday July 21st with an ‘Accordion Festival’ hosted by New York-based accordionist Rachelle Garniez, and featured the Bil Afrah Project, Zlatni Balkan Zvuk, Osnelda (Brazil), Gregorio Uribe (Colombia), and more! The series opened when producer Ariana Hellerman, a New York arts consultant hosted "The Great Accordion Rendezvous, a "Make Music New York Mass Appeal and Celebration of the NYC Accordion Com- munity" on June 21st. Bryant Park is located between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, 40th and 42nd Streets, New York. We'll be sure to keep you posted on the 2018 series as plans are made next year.n

Masters Graduate Michael Bridge The University of Toronto proudly announces that Michael Bridge is a Class of 2017 graduate of U of T's Masters of Music Performance program. An accordion virtuoso, the U of T featured Michael in their "The Great Accordion Rendezvous, a Make Music New York ongoing spotlight on exceptional class of graduates. This Fall, 25- Mass Appeal and Celebration of the NYC Accordion Community" year-old Michael Bridge will start a doctoral program in accordion, becoming the third person at U of T to take it that far. Michael Bridge is a captivating young musician, redefining the Mary Mancini and sound and image of his traditional instrument. Named one of CBC’s Mario Tacca “30 Hot Classical Musicians Under 30”, he is internationally recog- pictured here with nised for his dynamic stage-presence and unique musical versatility. Ariana Hellerman His repertoire includes classical masterworks, baroque, jazz, world music, folk dances, contemporary classical, and digital accor- Michael dion compositions Bridge showcases the diverse genres possible with the accordion and re- moves stereotypes concerning the limita- tions of the instrument. Michael made his solo orchestral debut with the Boston Pops tled ‘Rock Bach’. He performs in Ladom Ensemble, an acoustic at 17, and has per- Iranian-Serbian-classical-tango quartet. formed on four conti- An ardent supporter of new music, Michael has over thirty nents, now playing world premieres to his credit, including works by Anna Pigdorna, over 100 concerts per Airat Ichmouratov and Pouya Hamidi. As a composer, he wrote year. He is a founding and recorded two folk albums and is the primary arranger for member of Double- several of his chamber ensembles. Double Duo having He has gratefully received support for his academic work and toured Ecuador, touring from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Social Sciences Poland, France and & Humanities Research Council, The Sylva Gelber Music Foun- across Canada with his dation, the Government of Alberta and the University of Toronto. collaborator Dr. Kor- On September 3, 2017, Michael will perform with the Edmon- nel Wolak (clarinet). ton Symphony Orchestra in their program “Symphony under the Their debut album Skies” under the direction of Bob Bernhardt. For more informa- launched in 2015, enti- tion, please visit www.michaelbridgemusic.com. n A bi-monthly publication of the American Accordionists’ Association page 3 July-August 2017

Ksenija Sidorova in New York City Kesinija On Saturday, August 5, 2017, Ksenija Sidorova made her “Mostly Mozart” debut at Lincoln Cen- Sidorova ter’s Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse in New York City. The Mostly Mozart Festival is a week-long classical music festival that takes place in New York City every summer. Ms. Sidorova’s performance was branded as the first accordion soloist recital in the history of the 51-year-old festival. Her program featured the following selections: Scherzo-Toccata (Londonov); Variations on “Ah vous dirai-je, maman,” K. 265 (Mozart); Autumnal Sceneries (Kusyakov); Barcarolle, Op. 10, No. 3 (Rachmaninoff); Revelation (Voitenko); Tanti Anni Prima (Piazzolla); Sentido Unico (Piazzolla) and S.V.P. (Piazzolla). Most of the arrangements were by Ksenija Sidorova herself. The audience in the sold-out venue was charmed by Ms. Sidorova’s artistry, technical capabilities, showmanship, and congeniality. She masterfully explained the capabilities of the accordion as a classical music solo instrument to a crowd filled predominantly by classical music enthusiasts with minimal accordion experience. Encouraged to take up the instrument by a grandmother steeped in the folk tradition of accordion playing, Ksenija started to play the instrument aged eight under the guidance of Marija Gasele in her hometown of Riga. Her quest for more exposure to both classical and contemporary repertoire took her to London where she became a prize-winning undergraduate at the Royal Acad- emy of Music studying under Owen Murray. She subsequently received her Masters Degree with Distinction. In 2009 Ksenija made her debut at London’s Wigmore Hall and appeared in the Park Lane Group Young Artists Showcase prompting The Times to single her out as “one of the real finds of the series”. In May 2012 she became the first International Award winner of the Bryn Terfel Foundation, and this year appears at the Royal Albert Hall as part of his 50th birthday celebra- Kesinija Sidorova pictured tions alongside Sting. above with Frank Busso, Jr. A recipient of both the Philharmonia Orchestra’s Martin Musical Scholarship and Friends of the Philharmonia Award, as well as the Worshipful Company of Musicians Silver Medal, Ksenija has just been appointed a Junge Wilde Artist by the Konzerthaus Dortmund. Ksenija regularly collaborates with Miloš Karadaglić, Juan Diego Flórez, Nicola Benedetti, Thomas Gould and Joseph Calleja. She works extensively with Avi Avital who, along with Itamar Doari, comprise the trio for the “Between Worlds” project which recently enjoyed performances at Shakespeare's Globe, throughout Germany and on a substantial US tour (including dates in Boston, Washing- ton and New York). She has also appeared on Arte’s “Stars von Morgen” with Rolando Villazón. Forthcoming highlights include performances of Erkki-Sven Tüür Prophecy with the NHK Symphony and Paavo Järvi; a tour with Latvian National Symphony Orchestra; and concerts with the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester, WDR Rundfunkorchester, and at the Chel- tenham and Bad Kissingen Festivals. She made her debut at the Vancouver Recital Series in September 2016. Some of her upcoming festival performances include the Jurmala Festival in Latvia, the Rheingau Musikfestival in Germany, the Baltic Sea Festival in Sweden, and the MITO Festival in Italy. Ksenija Sidorova will return to New York City in 2018 for a concert series at famed Carnegie Hall. Will Holshouser at Monterey Jazz Festival ent areas of music. He tours regularly with jazz violinist Regina Carter New York based accor- and her band Reverse Thread. He also plays in a collaborative trio dionist Will Holshouser with Amsterdam-based improvisers, drummer Han Bennink and sax- will join renowned violin- ophonist/clarinettist Michael Moore. This group has a new CD out ist Regina Carter in con- and has toured in Europe, the US and Africa. cert at the famous Will's long-standing trio features Ron Horton on trumpet and Monterey Jazz Festival in David Phillips on bass. Together since 1998, these three have devel- Monterey, CA on Septem- oped a truly unified group sound. The trio has three CDs out on the ber 17, 2017. Portuguese label Clean Feed. Their third CD, Palace Ghosts and The 60th Annual Mon- Drunken Hymns was recorded in Portugal with the late, brilliant pi- terey Jazz Festival will anist Bernardo Sassetti as special guest. take place at the Monterey Will has also played with David Krakauer, Antony and the John- County Fairgrounds, lo- sons, Martha Wainwright, Loudon Wainwright, Andy Statman, cated at 2000 Fairground Phillip Johnston, Matt Munisteri & Brock Mumford, the Raymond Road in Monterey, Cali- Scott (tribute) Orchestrette, Roberto Rodriguez, Mark Morris fornia, from September Dance, New York City Ballet, Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra, 15-17, 2017. Considered and many others. one of the finest in the Will studied composition with Anthony Braxton and Bill Barron country, the festival will Will Holshouser at Wesleyan University, where he received a grant to research Cajun feature over 500 artists who will be performing non-stop on eight and Creole music in Louisiana. After moving to New York in the early stages for three nights and two days of the world's best jazz. 1990s, he studied accordion with Dr. William Schimmel. He now Voted “World's Best Jazz Festival” by the readers of JazzTimes lives in Brooklyn, New York with his wife and daughter. Magazine in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2013 and 2014, the Monterey Jazz For Sony Masterworks artist Regina Carter, the violin isn't simply Festival offers 20 acres of magnificent oak-studded grounds for fans an improvisational vehicle; it’s a passport to unexpected realms. It's to enjoy, featuring films, conversations with the Festival's stars, ex- a Rosetta Stone that unlocks the doors to a myriad of cultures, sounds, hibitions, food and beverages, an international shopping bazaar, and and worlds apart. Her quest for beauty combined with her passion for eight stages of live jazz entertainment spread throughout the grounds. excellence did not escape the attention of the MacArthur Foundation, Will Holshouser was given an accordion as a surprise when he was which awarded Regina their prestigious MacArthur fellowship “ge- still young and impressionable. He has since found a unique niche for nius grant.” San Francisco Performances also took note of Regina's himself as an accordionist, improviser, and composer in many differ- exceptional work and appointed her Artist-in-Residence for five years. continued on page 4 A bi-monthly publication of the American Accordionists’ Association page 4 July-August 2017 ton Nolet and Michel Béchard, Patrick Nolet, Denis Pépin, Cati Carrefour Mondial de l’Accordeon Plana and Pau Puig, Valérie Plante, Gorkata, Loïc Primeau- Festival Vinetti, Vildà Tapia eta Leturia, Simon Thoumire and Mark The Carrefour Mondial Maguire, Timi Turmel and Erin Leahy, Paolo Vani and Gerry Vi- rone. de l’Accordeon Festival n takes place from August 31 For further information: [email protected] to September 4, 2017 in Montmagny, Quebec. Coupe Mondiale in Osimo, Italy About 34 miles east-north- CIA President Raymond Bodell is delighted, on behalf of the east of Quebec City, Mont- Coupe Mondiale organizers to be welcoming contestants, delegates, magny is a proudly International Jury members and visitors from all quarters of the French-speaking town that world to participate in the 70th Coupe Mondiale in Osimo, Italy is over 300 years old and has 11,885 residents. During the an- from September 5-10, 2017. nual festival, the population swells to more than 50,000, most of This year the competition and festival will feature exactly 100 of them intent on hearing some of the finest accordionists in the the world's finest young contestants, registered from 27 different na- world. tions for the seven different categories of competition. This year Quote from a TripAdvisor contributor: "If you love accordion there are 20 entries in each of the classic solo categories, promising a music (or even if you hate it), this place is an adventure. The Car- treat of competitive performances. refour Mondial brings accordionists from all over the globe, and President Bodell added: “During the 2017 Coupe Mondiale, there it seems as if every man, woman, and child in Montmagny plays will be exciting and unique concerts, the "World Accordion Orches- some version of a squeezebox. We camped out, dined where we tra IX" under the direction of Joan Cochran Sommers and the CIA could (the locals provide their hearty version of baked beans), Delegates will hold their 138th General Assembly in which a variety line danced, and heard the accordion stretched to its ultimate per- of International business will be discussed including the election of a formance abilities. It was so much fun. Highly recommended.” new CIA President. The line-up of 2017 performing artists include: Renzo Rug- The host city Osimo, is a charming and historical city just a few gieri (pictured), Roman Jbanov and Marie-Noëlle Cros, Trio miles from Castelfidardo, the home of many accordion factories. Martin Bellemare, Alexandre Boivin Caron, Antoine Pigeon- Many visitors will take the opportunity to visit Castelfidardo and the Bourque, Marie-Brousseau et Guillaume Turcotte, Georges surrounding towns of Ancona and the charming seaside towns of the Camitsis, Duo Montanaro-Cavez, Club Carrefour, Sébastien Adriatic coastline while on their trip to Italy. Clermont, Vladimir Denissenkov, Francine Desjardins, Keven For those who are unable to attend the 2017 Coupe Mondiale, ex- Desrosiers, Joaquin Diaz, Dina Swing, Serge Duchesne et Lu- tensive Daily Reports, pictures, information and videos of each com- ciano Testani, Samuel Garcia and Mario Cimenti, Sabin Jacques petitor, including the final Prize Winners Concert on Saturday, September 10th and the World Accordion Orchestra can be seen at and Rachel Aucoin, Alexandre Juan, Diamik, Duo Silb, Bernard n Lafargue, Jean-Claude Laudat and Jean-Yves Dubanton, Réjean, the Coupe Mondiale website at www.coupemondiale.org Lizotte, Tipsy 3, TokaTaNoka, Jesse Mea and R. Bourgeois, Gas- Holshouser & Carter at Monterey Jazz Festival, cont’d from p. 3 She also served as one of she released her sophomore album, Something for Grace, which was Regina the Resident Artistic Di- Baxter dedicated to her mother. That same year, Carter toured with Wynton rectors for the discerning Marsalis. Subsequently, Regina signed to the venerable Verve label, San Francisco JAZZ dur- where she released Rhythms of the Heart in 1999 and Motor City ing its inaugural season in Moments in 2000: a tribute to her beloved hometown of Detroit. its spectacular new home. Regina continued her dynamic musical journey with her 2014 re- In 1987, she joined the lease Southern Comfort, in which she investigated her family history, all-female pop-jazz quin- exploring the traditional folk songs her paternal grandfather would tet Straight Ahead and ap- have heard as he toiled in the coal mines of Alabama. The expanded peared on their first three project includes a blend of folk tunes and spirituals, serving as albums before leaving the Will Holshouser Regina's interpretation of her roots through a modern lens. band in 1991 and moving For more information on Will, including his work with Regina to New York. Almost immediately, Regina was tapped for session and other musical adventures, please visit: work with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Mary J. Blige, Lauryn Hill, www.willholshouser.com. n Billy Joel and Dolly Parton. She also performed and toured with Ray Will was also guest artist at the AAA SqueezeFest in Princeton, Brown, Kenny Barron, The String Trio of New York, Cassandra Wil- July 12-16, 2017 son, Oliver Lake and Steve Turre, among others. In 1995, Regina released her self-titled solo debut on Atlantic Records. Two years later, and a five minute break every hour. Two weeks and two Accordion related Sponsor RedBull video taped the entire Guinness World Records event and also provided the witnesses. On opposite sides of the Globe, two accordion related Guin- Guinness regulations require two witness World Records were set including the longest continuous nesses changing every four hours and playing record and the largest accordion orchestra record. never repeating a witness. During the Sponsored by RedBull, on August 4-5, 2017, multi Interna- record attempt, musical selections can- tional competition Champion accordionist Cory Pesaturo broke not be repeated within any four hour pe- the longest continuous accordion playing record. Surpassing the riod. previous record of 31 hrs and 25 minutes, Cory played for 33 The previous longest marathon accor- hours 14 minutes at a location in Graz, Austria. Performers at- dion playing lasted 31 hours 25 minutes tempting the record are allowed a 30 second break between songs and was achieved by Anssi Laitinen continued on next page A bi-monthly publication of the American Accordionists’ Association page 5 July-August 2017 Two World Records, cont’d, from p. 4 (Finland) at the Koljonvirta Camping Area, Iisalmi, Finland from The Guinness Record for the largest accordion orchestra was the July 31 to August 1, 2010. grand opening to the 2017 China Shenzhen Bao'an International Meanwhile in China, Confédération International des Ac- Accordion Art Festival and Competition. The 2nd biannual com- cordéonistes (CIA) Ambassador Kevin Friedrich joined 2,259 petition to be held in Shenzhen, the festival was run under the aus- fellow accordionists in Shenzhen, China to break the Guinness pices of the Publicity Department of Communist Party of China of World Record for the largest accordion orchestra with 2,260 play- Shenzhen, the China Accordion Association of Chinese Musicians ers on August 24th, 2017. Association, the Bao'an District People's Government, the Shen- Also conducted under strict guidelines, this attempt required zhen Literary and Art Association China Accordion Association that all participants start and finish the performance in its entirety, and the CIA. The CIA Executive Committee, invited guests of the the piece performed must be an organized piece such as a multi festival, supported the various concerts, Guinness World Record part piece (ie: accordionists getting together for a mass Jam Ses- event, competitions as well as the various Master Class workshops sion would not meet Guinness record criteria), each person must and social activities. CIA Executives in attendance pictured are perform their part, with neutral monitors allocated one per 50 per- Kevin Friedrich (USA-Ambassador), Li Cong (China-Vice Presi- formers to make the final count and ensure that all performers dent), Herbert Scheibenreif (Austria-Vice President), Raymond play each of their parts and complete the piece, which must be at Bodell (UK-President), Viatcheslav Semionov (Russia-Vice Presi- least six minutes long. Kevin also participated in the previous dent), Mirco Patarini (Italy-Chairperson of the Music Committee) record setting performance in Tacheng, China on August 20, and Harley Jones (New Zealand - Public Relations Manager). 2016 when 1,517 players broke a previous record of 1,361 play- Competitions categories ranged from solo to orchestra and in- ers. Pictured are some of the CIA guests including President cluded all age categories from 4-6 years old through to adults. For Raymond Bodell, Ambassador Kevin Friedrich, Vice President a sampling of the various activities such as concerts and competi- Herbert Scheibenreif and CIA World Champion Grayson Mase- tions and the Guinness World Record performance, please visit field. www.accordions.com/china/shenzhen. n

World’s Largest Accordion Orchestra Shenzhen, China 2,260 players

Cory Pesaturo, Guinness World Record for longest continuous accordion playing record, 33 hours and 14 minutes! Pictured above: CIA President, Raymond Bodell, Ambassador Kevin Friedrich, Vice President Herbert Scheibenreif and CIA World Champion Grayson Masefield

CIA Executives in attendance pictured at left are Kevin Friedrich (USA-Ambassador), Li Cong (China-Vice President), Herbert Scheibenreif (Austria-Vice President), Raymond Bodell (UK-President), Viatcheslav Semionov (Russia-Vice President), Mirco Patarini (Italy-Chairperson of the Music Committee) and Harley Jones (New Zealand - Public Relations Manager). A bi-monthly publication of the American Accordionists’ Association page 6 July-August 2017 Accordion Pops Orchestra The East Coast based group The Accordion Pops Orchestra, com- sional musicians or teachers. Many are soloists in their own right. prised of accordionists from several East Coast states, will perform a The orchestra performs a repertoire of light classical, Broadway, big series of concerts in the upcoming months including concerts in Au- band and popular music. It has entertained audiences at concert dobon, PA and Tinton Falls and Begenfield, NJ. halls, county fairs, festivals, schools, and playhouses at many loca- The orchestra's roots can be traced to 1970, when it was organized tions primarily in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New by the Accordion Teachers' Association of New Jersey. Over the York. next ten years it performed at various community functions through- The upcoming performances are as follows: out the state under the direction of its first conductor, Dr. Jacob Neu- Sunday, September 17, 2017 at 3:00 PM pauer of Philadelphia. Shannondell at Valley Forge - Auditorium In 1980 the orchestra members took a leave of absence, but four 10000 Shannondell Drive years later the membership was reorganized under the direction of Audobon, PA 19403 the late Eugene Ettore of Livingston, New Jersey. In 1985, Daniel Sunday, October 8, 2017 at 2:00 PM Desiderio was invited to act as a guest conductor of the orchestra and Seabrook Village a few years later the A.T.A. of NJ appointed him as conductor in res- 3000 Essex Road idence. The name of the orchestra was formally changed to the Ac- Tinton Falls, NJ 07753 cordion Pops Orchestra and its membership was expanded beyond Sunday, November 19, 2017 at 3:00 PM the original members from New Jersey to include performers from Conlon Hall Auditorium Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, 19 North William Street Maryland, and Rhode Island. Maestro Desiderio retired as conduc- Begenfield, NJ 07621 tor in May 2011 and turned over the baton to Al Terzo. Most of the twenty-five plus members of the orchestra are profes- For more information, please visit: www.accordionpops.com n

Musical Tribute to Dick Contino Lady of Spain, written by the times Dick was in the audience with his family and his many friends. English bandleader and composer, This year will be different. It will be the first Convention after Dick’s Tolchard Evans was made extremely death. popular by the legendary American As a tribute to Dick, Joan Cochran Sommers has arranged Lady accordionist Dick Contino (January of Spain for the festival Orchestra to play as the closing piece on its 17, 1930 - April 19, 2017). The program. She thought it would be inspiring and exciting to have handsome young heartthrob played Cory Pesaturo, Grayson Masefield and Stas Venglevski join the or- it as a solo on the Horace Heidt chestra on a couple of choruses – ala The Three Tenors, following Radio Show and kept winning week along the lines of how the Three Tenors performed all over the world after week after week. Although he with various symphony orchestras. Cory, Grayson and Stas will be played many other pieces, Lady of the Star Performers at the 2017 Las Vegas Accordion Convention Spain became his most recognizable and when they join the festival orchestra, they will show the audi- and most popular one, even more so after his 1950 appearance on the ence some of the Ed Sullivan TV Show. bellows shakes A regular performer at the Las Vegas Accordion Convention, that were made so Dick Contino's last appearance there was in 2014 when he stood up popular by Dick as usual and played a very long set of pieces with his back-up guys Contino, better as well as singing. Dick brought the audience to tears with his inspi- known in Las rational and poignant commentary. Vegas as Mr. En- It has been the tradition for the Las Vegas International Accordion tertainment. n Orchestra to close the Convention on Thursday Evening and many A bi-monthly publication of the American Accordionists’ Association page 7 July-August 2017 Coast to Coast ...a sampling of accordion events across the USA! Contact the individual organizations for updates. LAS VEGAS, NV The line-up for the 18th annual Las Vegas Int. Accor- dion Convention WASHINGTON DC (LVAC) starts with This September, the National Endowment for the Guinness World Arts (NEA) is celebrating nine of our nation’s Record holder for master folk and traditional artists at two free the longest play- events in Washington, DC. These artists are the ing, Cory Pesaturo, recipients of the NEA National Heritage Fellow- and bookends with ship, the nation’s highest honor in the folk and a grand finale star- traditional arts. Among the 2017 recipients are ring Grayson conjunto accordionist and bandleader Eva Masefield, CIA World Champion and the Interna- Ybarra and Danish button accordionist and Mis- tional Accordion Orchestra under the direction souri-style fiddler Dwight Lamb. of Professor Joan Sommers. Event organizer Paul Pasquali writes: "By popular demand we pieces were "Pioneer Concerto" (Eugene Et- On Friday, September 15, 2017, at 8:00pm, the are back to the fall – a great time of the year to tore); "Parisian Musette" (Carmen Carrozza); 2017 recipients will be honored at a free concert come to Las Vegas to hear a superb list of star "Evan-essence" (Guy Klucevsek) and "Magic in Washington, DC, at George Washington Uni- performers. The event will take place from Octo- Fingers" (Charles Camilleri). Cody would like to versity's Lisner Auditorium. This concert will ber 23-26, 2017. For more information, please thank the family of the great Carmen Carrozza, also be streamed live at arts.gov. Presented by visit www.accordionstars.com. the American Accordionists Association, and his the National Endowment for the Arts, the concert accordion teacher, AAA President Mary Tokarski. will feature performances by and conversations COTATI, CA Cody is the youngest member of the NJ based with the 2017 NEA National Heritage Fellows – The 27th Annual Cotati Accordion Festival took Accordion Pops Orchestra, and has his own including Eva Ybarra an Dwight Lamb – and will place on August 19 & 20, 2017, Saturday & Sun- band, “Polterabend.” In addition to performing be hosted by Martha Gonzalez of the Grammy day, 9:30 AM to 8:00 PM each day. The Cotati on the piano and diatonic accordion, Cody also Award-winning band Quetzal. Free tickets are Accordion Festival is a yearly event. The venue plays the theater and pipe organ, and performs available at lisner.gwu.edu. in various stage productions as an actor. (See is open under the shade trees of La Plaza Park Eva Ybarra is one of only a few professional in Cotati, CA. If you plan to stay for the whole July USA news for more info on Cody). For further information: pat@lmsetch. women accordionists in conjunto music. As the day, bring your own comfortable, short-backed leader of Eva Ybarra y Su Conjunto, Ybarra has folding lawn chair. A shuttle was provided from VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA specialized in writing and composing original Park and Ride at the corner of Highway 116 and conjunto music while also exploring non-stan- Old Redwood Highway on St. Joseph Way. The Accordion Noir Festival has announced its headlining acts for this year’s festival, taking dard chord progressions, advancing the art Handicap parking is available at 102-104 W. Co- form’s evolution. Besides being a professional tati Ave. (kitty cornered from the Korean Baptist place September 7-10, 2017 at various venues in Vancouver, Canada. Celebrating its tenth an- musician, Ybarra is also a music educator. More Church) and in front of the Korean Baptist information about Ybarra is available at arts.gov. Church at 81 West Cotati Ave. Annual atten- niversary as Canada’s only festival of alternative dance reaches 2,000-3,000 a day. accordion music, this year’s special anniversary Dwight Lamb is a master of Danish fiddle and edition of Accordion Noir presents a pantheon of accordion traditions, as well as Missouri Valley The Honorary Director this year was Marjorie international and local accordion talent, includ- old-time fiddling. With more than 60 years’ com- Konrad. Performers included: AlpenBand Cali- ing the North American debuts of Finnish accor- mitment to collection, recording, preservation, fornia, Amy Jo Sawyer, Big Lou's Dance Party, dion shaman Antti Paalanen and all-female and teaching, Lamb has mentored generations Cory Pesaturo, En Canto with Jamie Maschler, Russian ethno-rock quartet Iva Nova, the Cana- of regional and international musicians. More in- Future Accordion Stars 2017, Gail Campanella, dian debut of Accordion DJ Lykaire from formation about Lamb is available here. Ginny Mac, Gordon Kohl, Jim Gilman, La Familia Louisiana, as well as the launch party for Geoff In addition, prior to this concert on Thursday, Peña-Govea, Lizeth Olivo, Ljubinka Kulisic - Ser- Berner’s latest album, Canadiana Grotesquica. September 14, the NEA will recognize these bia, Mark St. Mary, MotorDude Zydeco, Oddjob For more information, please visit www.accor- artists at an awards ceremony at the Library of Ensemble, Royal Jelly Jive, Squeezy Peezy, T- dionnoirfest.com. Congress. The ceremony will begin at 5:30 p.m. Luke and the Tight Suits, The Golden State Ac- ET in the Library of Congress's Coolidge Audito- cordion Club Band, The Great Morgani, The Mad EAST NORTHPORT, NY rium in the Thomas Jefferson Building at 10 Maggies and a free accordion jazz 101 workshop La Villini Restau- First Street SE in Washington, DC. Following the by Paul Betken. Please call 707-664-0444 for rant of East North- ceremony, there will be a reception with the questions about next year’s event. Customer port, NY is artists. This event is open to the public and no Service: 1-888-559-2576. sponsoring the tickets are required. next meeting of Elizabeth Auclair, Natl. Endowment for the Arts the Long Island Accordion Alliance AAA 80th Anniversary Celebration! (LIAA) on Wednes- day, September 6, July 11-15, 2018 at the 2017 at 6:00 PM. Holiday Inn & Suites The featured guest artist will be Emilio Mag- 625 First Street notta. Emilio performs professionally in the NY- Alexandria, VA 22314 metro region and is sought-after for events, Single - Double - Triple - Quae $129.00 such as performing at the Intrepid Sea & Air Mu- Deadline for reservations at this rate is seum in NY, Bryant Park, United Nations, as well as weddings and major events. The event will June 11, 2018 take place at La Villini Restaurant, 288 Larkfield Please make note of this early dead- PRINCETON, NJ Road, East Northport, NY 11731, phone: (631) line as there are no exceptions. Cody McSherry, age 14, is the recipient of the 261-6344 or email: [email protected]. We encourage you to make your 2017 Carmen Carrozza Scholarship Competition, www.facebook.com/LongIsland reservations ASAP to insure you will Junior Division. His performance included four AccordionAlliance. pieces performed on piano accordion. The receive the $129 rate!